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The start of a new school year offers a prime time to research and plan college visits for the prospective college student. College trip planning provides students and their parents the opportunity to learn a lesson in setting up a college visit itinerary. This is an educational experience that improves with each successive visit and is an important part of the college search process. Prior to the planning stage, a fair assessment of the schools to visit should be agreed upon to make the ultimate journey productive. Once the preliminary college list has been established and suitable matches are identified, college visits should be arranged efficiently by geographic regions so that multiple schools may be viewed consecutively. College Trip Planning Recap: • Initiate college visits once you have established a well-thought out student preference profile. This self-assessment and interest inventory will provide a solid foundation from which to investigate schools. • Prepare by reviewing school websites, take virtual tours, survey college guide books, learn about program offerings and specific departments that peak student’s interest. • Participate in all of the admissions offerings, including an information session, campus tour, interview, open house, personal data survey, website email sign-up, etc. Introduce yourself to the admissions officer for your region. Demonstrated interest in a school helps to separate your student’s application from the competition. • Seek to cluster visits with other targeted colleges in a geographic region. • Follow-up with a potential decision maker, such as your regional admissions officer. An email with an authentic inquiry and a comment about your recent visit and interest in the school sets a positive tone. • Make both an anecdotal and data record of each college visit for future reference. A College Visit Journal will help rekindle impressions and contribute to the decision making process. |